Picture a somewhat-windy Sunday afternoon in South St. Louis County. Can't do it? Well, I'll help you out there.

Hamilton is a GREAT musical, the lyrics, the songs, the quotes, all of it is a master piece.

Before I ever developed a distinct taste in art, a favor for certain aesthetics or genres or even method of delivery, I was still deeply and inextinguishably drawn to it.

I had no idea what I was getting into with becoming a dramaturg. But I’m enjoying the ride, and can’t wait to answer any more questions the cast might come up with. 

A letter to Theatre “With you in my life, I get to speak up, I get to share my stories, I get to channel my emotions through you. You never once criticize me or censor me, instead, you supported me. And I am thankful for that.”

It all started in November of 2021 when one of my friends was visiting New York City for the first time. Being the theatre fan I am, I insisted that we saw a Broadway show together. He suggested a show called David Byrne’s American Utopia. “Sounds good to me,” I responded, “but quick question - Who’s David Byrne?”

The first term of my last year is almost over. I thought I would catch you up on how my final year of my undergrad has been going!

On March 12th at eight in the evening, the Munsey Park Auditorium hosted a musical performance named Illegal: A New Musical by theater graduates of Yale University. With Skyler Chin as its writer, Olivia Facini as its producer, Sita Sunil as its co-composer, Iris Liu as the student producer, and Annissa Gao as the photographer. The show gathered more than 1,000 audience members from 3/11 to 3/12 and received an uproaring reaction from its audience who gave standing ovations for both days of the performance.

Dance is the function that movement flows into. The former innately harbors connotations of restricted and formed movement, while movement itself is the relinquishing to true movement. This thought process and constant practice of the release that movement provides me allowed the space and time to truly fall back in love with movement and myself.

The masks, in some way, strip the viewers of their identities, solidifying their role as spectators rather than audience members. From behind the mask, we forget that the performers can see us just as much as we can see them. Face coverings give us false anonymity, cloaking our reactions and forcing us to view the piece with a more critical lens.

This quarter, I enrolled in a graduate dramaturgy course at my university -- UC San Diego. Being the only undergraduate student in the class was definitely intimidating at first, but I’ve also grown and become more comfortable with myself as a student and dramaturg in ten short weeks. In a class filled with UC Irvine Ph.D. students, UC San Diego Ph.D. students, and MFA stage managers, there are many perspectives and levels of exposure to dramaturgy in the class that provide insight and diversity.

Our student bloggers write about how they're coping with the current global health crisis, give insight on their school's performing arts programs, share their opinions on the latest theater news, and so much more. Finding the joy in rejection, favorite theatre moments, a letter to college friends, New York Fashion Week, a love of Shakespeare, learning to say no, and more-- read the latest from our college student bloggers!

In February, I was lucky enough to see former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson on his first world tour after being rescheduled several times due to the ongoing pandemic. And while Tomlinson himself put on an outstanding performance that left the audience speechless in the best way, the opening act for the tour stood out to everyone as well and I can easily say I'm a new fan of the band for a multitude of reasons.

Swift's statement in her song 'peace' rings true for my generation, but it will not define us moving forward. My twenties will be a time in my life that I'll remember forever no matter what happens or what I do during this time. We all deserve those incredible experiences no matter what, so let's go get them.

I am ordering my cap and gown today for the Baldwin Wallace University commencement in May. Leaving this great theatre community is a sobering thought, but the spring semester is so busy there are plenty of distractions.

Kanarie has one of the most iconic opening sequences I’ve ever witnessed. It starts with Johan wearing a wedding gown in the middle of the street, as he lip syncs Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy”, having a musical dream sequence until he’s interrupted by a reality check, when he’s informed he has to join the army.

I put my cold email writing skills to the test, and I ended up getting three yeses. The first fashion show I went to was a fashion show collaboration between Hekka (a fashion brand) and Uplive (a social media app). The second was a fashion show for the designer Corey Woods and his new eyewear line. Both were quite the experience!

I write to you this letter to show my love and admiration for each and everyone of you. As I am about to graduate while most of you are in the beginning of your college journey, I wish to tell you the impact you had on me.

This year has already been a tough one, and despite everything, the world turns and we are expected to fulfill our responsibilities. Realizing your own needs is incredibly important during these thoroughly unprecedented times, and taking care of yourself should be a number one priority. I’m writing this for myself and anyone else who may be going through difficult times.

It's almost that time... midterms. Not as bad as finals week, but it still brings on plenty of stress. This is when I try to sit down and study and work on my midterm projects. However, sometimes you just need a break from it all. So here are my tips for making it through Midterm week.

I’m a 3rd year Musical Theatre major at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois – one state in which the mask mandate has officially been lifted. After two years of a pandemic, Gov. Pritzker has done away with the mask mandate that was originally reinstated in August of last year.

Earlier this week, I got my second rejection of the summer stock season. Of course, I was a little frustrated because it was a theater I really wanted to work with. In the past, I would have pouted and overanalyzed for hours and hours about what I did wrong and how I deserved to be in that show, and so on. However, now, I've decided not to let this rejection get me down, and instead think of how this rejection will help me.

The often repeated aphorism “history repeats itself” and the related axiom attributed to Winston Churchill, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” were foremost on my mind as the tragic events in Ukraine unfolded this past week. During a period of relative peace, it is easy for those of us who have yet to finish college to dismiss these axioms, yet it became clear on Thursday, February 27, 2022 that history does indeed repeat itself.

All seemed fine right? Nope… we went through another round. Our castmate, production crew, and musician tested positive for COVID-19. I'm just glad that we managed to pull through till the end.

The challenge for the actor is to be so in touch with their own humanity that they can sense the bold emotions of their character, while still prioritizing communication, so that audiences can relate to that humanity.